WELLAND, Ont. - The Lady Royals women's soccer team opened the 2014 OCAA league campaign with a 1-0 win in their season opener on Saturday afternoon at Young's Sportsplex in Welland, Ont. After a disappointing season in 2013 that saw the team secure just one win in eight games, the Royals have already equaled last year's total after just the first game in 2014 with a win against the Niagara Knights.
In a gritty affair, the Lady Royals got on the board early (18th minute) when a Redeemer corner spilled out past the 18-yard box and third-year player Sierra O'Connell (Brantford, Ont.) struck the ball just under the crossbar for the 1-0 lead.
The one goal proved to be the difference as Redeemer showed their defensive prowess, hanging on to the lead to the final whistle despite being outshot 14-5. Third-year player Grace Berkel (Simcoe, Ont.) earned the shutout for the Royals.
Redeemer head coach Caell Huyer commented, "We played a great first half and defended in the second when we needed to. Our new additions to the team played great and today was certainly something we can build on moving forward."
The men's team also opened up their season this afternoon against the Niagara Knights.
A well-balanced game that saw chances from both sides came down to finishing as Niagara capitalized midway through the first half when the Royals could not.
Searching for the equalizer all afternoon left the Royals exposed and vulnerable. Niagara continued to push and Redeemer gave up the next goal in the game giving the Knights the 2-0 lead halfway through the second half. Niagara held that lead till the final whistle.
"We have had a lot of switch over from last year's team," mentioned head coach Kyle Grootenboer after the game. "Today we played like we were a new team for the first 20 minutes or so. After that we settled down and there were chances both ways."
Coach Grootenboer and the team will have very little time to ponder Saturday's loss before needing to turn their attention to the next league match. The men's and women's soccer teams return to action on Wednesday night when they welcome the Fanshawe Falcons to Redeemer for the home openers at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Source: Redeemer University College